Нда, несколько не укладывается в привычную модель акульего капитализма...
Кармак покупает у конкурентов систему зажигания
We were going to start working on a spark-torch igniter, so I sent an email to Doug Jones at XCOR for some tips. I got back one of the familiar emails from Jeff Greason about how it wouldn’t be fair to the other investors in XCOR (I have made two moderately significant investments in XCOR) if they gave away the information they have developed, but that they could sell us a complete igniter system. We discussed buying engines a long time ago, and the big sticking point is that if I want a system that I can take apart and clone, they are obligated to charge enough to recoup their development expenses. I didn’t like that price quote at all, so for the igniter, I agreed that it would be under no-taking-apart rules. The price came back quite reasonable, to the point where even serious amateur experimenters might find it worthwhile to buy from them. Because they knew we were in a hurry, they actually pulled a system from one of their old engines and sent it off to me.